The effectiveness with which World War II's Air
Commandos turned unconventional ideas into battlefield success has
been held forth, rightfully so, as a classic example of what can be
accomplished with imagination, common sense and a "can do"
attitude. By aggressively attacking enemy
fortifications, transport, lines of communications, and in general
making a nuisance of themselves to the Japanese command, the 1st Air
Commando Group's fighters, bombers and transports made possible
British and American long range penetrations behind enemy
lines. In 1944 the Air Commandos went a step
further with a gamble on something really strange, even by their
standards. At the time it was called simply,
"Project 9." When implemented in Burma the project went on
to become another first in a series of Air Commando successes: The
first ever combat employment of the helicopter. Designated
the YR-4B, the Sikorsky helicopter was short on speed, range,
payload, and altitude and reliability, not to mention looks. The
pilot and single passenger sat in front of a 180 horsepower engine
and transmission supported by a fabric covered, skeleton type
airframe. On a "good day" its wooden main rotor would lift
it to a maximum ceiling of approximately 4,000 feet density
altitude. While the Pentagon resisted the
temptation to schedule the Army Air Corps Band for the YR-4B's
official rollout, it did do something much more important. It sent
the helicopter to . . . you guessed it . . . the Air Commandos. To
fly the YR-4B, the designer of the aircraft. Igor Sikorsky sent his
nephew to handpick eight pilot candidates for training from a group
of Army Air Corps volunteers. The remaining four pilot graduates,
with four YR-4Bs and four mechanics, were sent to the Burma-India
Theater for their baptism of fire. The four
helicopters and crews arrived in Lalaghat, India, near the
Burma-India border in April, 1944, for their big moment. Within 30
days only one remained operational due to a series of crashes and
mechanical failures. The remaining pilot, Lt.
Carter Harman, flew solo 600 miles to a secret base in central Burma.
Secret to the Japanese commander at least, who didn't know the
commando base was operating 30 miles behind his front lines. Harman's
next flight took him still further into Japanese-controlled territory
and into the history books as well. The mission
that had brought Harman so far was the rescue of a downed American
pilot and the three wounded British soldiers he had been flying back
to friendly lines when his L-l aircraft had gone down. With no
airstrip or friendly troops near the rescue site, the Air Commando
leader Col. Phil Cochran gambled on the unproven helicopter. There
were however, some very good arguments to be made against his
decision. Burma's excessive heat and humidity so
limited the YR-4B that Harman could barely hover with only himself on
board. When tasked to rescue the isolated group, the easy part was
figuring that four separate flights were needed. But how to get a
survivor on board even if he got to the site? Harman
used a technique familiar to many of today's helicopter pilots
who have survived similar situations. By jerking the vertical lift
controls he could get the helicopter to pop momentarily into the air.
By quickly but gently nosing the aircraft forward from the top of
this "pop-up," he stood a fair chance of getting sufficient
forward speed and airlift to flyaway. If he didn't hit the ground and
explode first. Fortunately for a lot of people, Harman's "field
expedient" take-off was successful. With a
useful payload of only 500 lbs after the auxiliary fuel tank had been
mounted, Harman took two days to complete the four rescue missions.
The downed L-l pilot later reported that seeing the YR-4B drop down
from the sky was "like seeing an angel" coming to his
rescue. Colonel Cochran had witnessed the
rescue, observing later "We want people to know it's not just a
stunt. It really works. Just imagine what we could do with a couple
hundred of them." In the ensuing weeks,
other helicopters went on to save 18 additional lives. The
Air Commando willingness to try something different, Harman's flying
skills and courage, and the required dose of good luck all combined
to underscore again, 50 years later, what can be done when
"accomplishing the mission" is the paramount
consideration. The 1st Air Commando Group, the
first helicopter combat rescue mission.